Help!?!
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ActingMad26
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Help!?!
Thank you for all your replies!
Last edited by ActingMad26 on Thu Nov 01, 2012 10:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
smile 
Re: Help!?!
No, this is very rarely a good idea!
If you have seen something on-line that you are appropriate for then it is highly likely that your agent will already have submitted you. If it is paid work, at the correct rate, then it is more than highly likely: it is well nigh certain. The exception to this is when the work is unpaid, in which case you should still check with your agent before submitting yourself. Check with your agent how they want you to deal with jobs that you spot for yourself. It will be very annoying for the agent if you deal with it in a way that hinders the agent. Applying for unpaid work (for example) without consulting your agent might mean that you become unavailable for a paid job that is in the pipeline. Also, the agent may know something about the job or the company which would mean that an application from the agent would be taken more seriously than one from you, or the agent might know that the company is one to be avoided.
Sometimes agents can negotiate better deals, too.
The only time it is well worth applying yourself is when you have some kind of connnection with the company already - even so, you should consult your agent to discuss your application and keep them informed.
If you are worried that the agent may have missed something then you may wish to send an email - but check this out as a general principle and ask them how they want to deal with this possibility. If every actor on the books sent an email every time they saw an opportunity on line, the agent would be swamped and would have no time to do the job!
If you have seen something on-line that you are appropriate for then it is highly likely that your agent will already have submitted you. If it is paid work, at the correct rate, then it is more than highly likely: it is well nigh certain. The exception to this is when the work is unpaid, in which case you should still check with your agent before submitting yourself. Check with your agent how they want you to deal with jobs that you spot for yourself. It will be very annoying for the agent if you deal with it in a way that hinders the agent. Applying for unpaid work (for example) without consulting your agent might mean that you become unavailable for a paid job that is in the pipeline. Also, the agent may know something about the job or the company which would mean that an application from the agent would be taken more seriously than one from you, or the agent might know that the company is one to be avoided.
Sometimes agents can negotiate better deals, too.
The only time it is well worth applying yourself is when you have some kind of connnection with the company already - even so, you should consult your agent to discuss your application and keep them informed.
If you are worried that the agent may have missed something then you may wish to send an email - but check this out as a general principle and ask them how they want to deal with this possibility. If every actor on the books sent an email every time they saw an opportunity on line, the agent would be swamped and would have no time to do the job!
Re: Help!?!
It must sometimes happen that an agent can only submit a limited number of their clients, so it's always worth checking with them if you see something you are interested in.
Re: Help!?!
I used to send a link to dd's agent, and he would then either confirm he'd submitted her, or occasionally, submit her as a result.
Re: Help!?!
I agree that it is worth checking with them in the first instance to see how they want you to communicate with them about jobs that you spot, but I can only see the scenario you describe, pinky3, occurring where the agent had huge numbers of clients or where the brief was very broad (and in the latter case an agent would probably feel justified in submitting several clients). Most actors' agents limit the numbers of clients of the same type so that actors are not competing for roles (or the chance to be submitted) within the agency.
I'd be a bit concerned if I was represented by an agent who had lots of clients just like me!
It is always worth contacting your agent if the casting brief mentions a skill or some experience that you think your agent may not know about.
Of course it does also happen that an actor will see a breakdown and want to be submitted and the agent will not agree that you are suitable (either because they don't believe you fit the brief, or you don't have the requisite experience). They won't want to jeopardise the relationship they have with the CD by submitting someone unsuitable (and getting a reputation as a time waster) in which case you either have to argue the toss with your agent or bow to their greater experience.
A lot depends on the size of the client list and your relationship with the agent. It also depends very much on the type of job: commercials and photoshoots are very different from tv/film/theatre roles.
Best to involve your agent though, in my opinion, whatever line you take!
I'd be a bit concerned if I was represented by an agent who had lots of clients just like me!
It is always worth contacting your agent if the casting brief mentions a skill or some experience that you think your agent may not know about.
Of course it does also happen that an actor will see a breakdown and want to be submitted and the agent will not agree that you are suitable (either because they don't believe you fit the brief, or you don't have the requisite experience). They won't want to jeopardise the relationship they have with the CD by submitting someone unsuitable (and getting a reputation as a time waster) in which case you either have to argue the toss with your agent or bow to their greater experience.
A lot depends on the size of the client list and your relationship with the agent. It also depends very much on the type of job: commercials and photoshoots are very different from tv/film/theatre roles.
Best to involve your agent though, in my opinion, whatever line you take!